PRESIDENT TRUMP FAST TRACKS CIVIL SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT
July 31, 2025
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On June 6, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order (“EO”) directing the FAA to take immediate action to lift the ban on civil supersonic flights over the U.S. Of note, the EO directs FAA regulators to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification which will set limits on acceptable noise thresholds for takeoff, landing, and other supersonic operations. The EO further instructs the FAA to repeal the prohibition within 180 days and establish an interim noise-based certification standard with the NPRM set to be finalized within 24 months of the date of the EO. President Trump’s EO follows the recently introduced Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act (“the Act”) which would direct the FAA to revise regulations to allow for the operation of civil aviation aircraft at speeds of Mach 1 without special authorization. The current law, enacted in 1973, mandates that no civil aircraft may be operated at speeds of Mach 1 or higher, essentially prohibiting non-military-related supersonic flight in the United States. If enacted, the Act would allow supersonic operators to fly at Mach 1 or higher, so long as no sonic boom reaches the ground. Supporters of President Trump’s EO and the Act, including supersonic aircraft manufacturer Boom, reason that repealing the 52-year ban on civil supersonic flight will save coast-to-coast travelers up to 90 minutes per flight and foster technological advancement permitting such speeds without an audible sonic boom.
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